Ekotrope App Updates

The following is a list of major updates made to Ekotrope RATER. The updates are ordered such that the most recent updates show up first.

NYSERDA rebate program submission integrated into Ekotrope RATER

Starting January 1st, 2018, HERS raters and providers can submit ratings to the NYSERDA New Construction – Residential and Multifamily rebate program using the Ekotrope RATER app.

Library De-linking on Registration

All ratings that have been registered with RESNET will now have the component and utility library entries they use duplicated and de-linked from the library. This greatly reduces the risk of a finalized rating being inadvertently edited!

Auto-Filled Georgia Code Certificate

We are excited to announce that the Georgia Code Compliance Certificate is now available in Ekotrope!  Most of the data will be automatically populated to reduce duplicate data entry.  We have already heard raters estimate that this will save them 5-15 minutes per rating!If you are already an Ekotrope user, you are now able to see the Georgia Code Certificate in your Ekotrope reports list for any project(s) in Georgia.  If you are not yet an Ekotrope user and are interested in trying Ekotrope, please fill out our contact form to the right.

New York State Code Support

Ekotrope now performs calculations and provides reports to demonstrate compliance with New York’s residential energy code. The Ekotrope reports may not be sufficient documentation to demonstrate compliance in all municipalities. The decision is up to the authority in that municipality.  If you know of a jurisdiction that does not accept Ekotrope reports please inform us by emailing support@ekotrope.com.

Version 2.2.0 Released

Ekotrope recently released Ekotrope RATER Version 2.2.0. Version 2.2.0 is a big step forward, improving Ekotrope’s accuracy and consistency with other HERS Rating Software. The details of the changes included in Version 2.2.0 are available here.

Batch Label Printing

Ekotrope has introduced an improved batch report feature to improve workflow. Now, when downloading or emailing project reports in a batch, the labels will be separated out into their own PDFs. Labels of the same type can then be printed out 4 labels per page. You won't have waste a bunch of label paper anymore.  All downloaded or printed reports will be automatically separated up into appropriate PDFs for the different types of paper to print them with.

NGBS 2015 now available in Ekotrope

Ekotrope RATER now supports the National Green Building Standard (NGBS)!  NGBS is a certification program that ensures that homes are healthy, energy efficient, and sustainably built. In Ekotrope RATER, users will be able to quickly assess how many NGBS points a home is eligible for, to assist in the design phase. This data will be easily accessible in the Quick Results panel:When it comes time for compliance, NGBS verifiers will simply download a report from Ekotrope and send the report to the NGBS program, along with the typical NGBS certification documents.

Emissions Reports

Ekotrope has also added new emissions summary reports, too. Now, you can check the projected NO2, CO2 and SO2 totals for each project, as well as how much each could save versus a reference standard:

• Emissions Summary

• HERS Emissions Comparison

• Energy Star V3.1 Emissions Comparison

• IECC 2006 - 2015 Emissions Comparisons

Each can be found in the reports menu.

Amended Codes in 5 major Colorado Jurisdictions – Now Supported by Ekotrope

In the home-rule state of Colorado, many jurisdictions have decided to adopt their own amended versions of energy codes, rather than the generic national IECC versions. Recently, this trend has increased, causing problems for energy raters in Colorado who do not have software to support the amended code versions.Typically these amendments involve changes to the infiltration requirements of the mandatory sections and the reference home for the performance path. In places that have adopted these amended codes, raters are struggling to continue to use existing national IECC reports by creating custom cover letters or mark-ups on the reports. This can be time consuming, and doesn’t allow the builder to capture the full added leniency of the amended code, because the reference home for the performance path does not reflect the amended codes. Therefore, Ekotrope has implemented a solution for raters in Colorado by adding reports for the following Colorado jurisdictions:

• Denver (4 ACH50 for MF units)

• Cheyenne (4 ACH50 for MF units)

• Longmont (5 ACH50)

• Westminster (Multiple targets for SF and MF)

• Lakewood (Multiple targets for SF and MF)

These amended codes are supported in Ekotrope in both the “Quick Results” code checks, and the report section, with custom compliance reports, labels, and certificates.